Greek Form Guide

υἱοῦ (uiou) in Matthew 1:1: Noun Genitive Singular Masculine

υἱοῦ (uiou) in Matthew 1:1

Textual Witness

υἱοῦ uiou Noun Genitive Singular Masculine

The witness reads υἱοῦ in Matthew 1:1 within the phrase about the genesis of Jesus Christ, David, and Abraham.

How The Form Affects Interpretation

The form quietly reinforces that the verse is introducing lineage, so the reader should hear relation and descent before any wider theological inference.

How To Communicate It

In translation or teaching, render the phrase in a way that preserves genealogy and relationship, since the grammar serves the passage's introductory purpose.

What Not To Say

  • Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
  • Genitive case suggests relationship here, but the surrounding names determine the exact sense.
  • Masculine grammatical gender is a form feature and should not be turned into a theological gender claim.

What Does The Label Mean?

Part of Speech

Noun: the word names a person or relationship, here a familial or descent term used in a title-like chain.

Case

Genitive: the form usually marks relationship, source, or association, and here it links the noun to the names that follow.

Number

Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence and refers to one son or one descendant relation at a time.

Gender

Masculine: the noun belongs to the masculine grammatical class, which describes form and does not by itself make a theological claim.

What The Form Does In This Verse

Attached To

It is attached to the preceding name phrase, especially in the sequence after Iesou Christou and before David.

Governed By

It is governed by the surrounding genitive chain in the verse, which presents a lineage or descent relation rather than a standalone assertion.

Role In The Phrase

It functions as a genitive link in the ancestry pattern, identifying David and Abraham as descent markers in the opening genealogy.

What It Is Not Doing

It is not the main subject of the sentence, and it does not by itself state action, equality, or a separate proposition.

How Much The Form Matters Here

Interpretive Weight

High: The genitive son phrase establishes descent relations in Matthew's opening identification of Jesus Christ.

Syntax Profile

Genitive noun linking names in a genealogy title. marks descent or lineage relation in the opening genealogy. Attached to the son of David and son of Abraham sequence. Governed by the surrounding genitive chain. The form supports lineage identification, while Matthew's larger opening frames its messianic significance.

Reader Question

What relation does the form mark in the opening verse? It marks Jesus Christ in relation to David and Abraham through the son/descent chain.

Translation Effect

Direct: The form directly supports son of or descendant of wording.

Where Caution Is Needed

The genitive marks descent relation but does not by itself state the full messianic theology. Masculine grammar belongs to the noun son and is not a separate claim about God.

Fallacies To Avoid

Son genitive carries the whole doctrine of Messiah by case alone: The form marks lineage; the Gospel's opening and whole narrative supply the theological claim.

How The Interpretation Is Derived

Textual Witness

The witness reads υἱοῦ in Matthew 1:1 within the phrase about the genesis of Jesus Christ, David, and Abraham.

Lexical Identity

The lemma υἱός normally means son or descendant, so the form points to a descent relation rather than a new lexical idea.

Grammar In Context

The genitive singular form fits the surrounding chain and helps show how the names are connected as ancestry, not as isolated labels.

Passage Meaning

In this verse, the form supports reading Jesus Christ within a structured genealogy that identifies him in relation to David and Abraham.

Canonical Fit

This matches the broader biblical use of son language for descent and covenant lineage, especially in genealogical and messianic settings.

Communication Use

For readers, the form helps signal that the verse opens with a formal ancestry statement, so the phrase should be heard as lineage language.

Do Not Derive

Do not derive a full doctrinal statement from the case ending alone, and do not treat the masculine form as a gender claim about God or persons.